In Dahomey

In Dahomey
George Walker, Adah Overton Walker, and Bert Williams dance
Music	Will Marion Cook
Lyrics	Paul Laurence Dunbar
Book	Jesse A. Shipp
Productions	1903 Broadway 1904 New York City

In Dahomey: A Negro Musical Comedy was a landmark American musical comedy, "the first full-length musical written and played by blacks to be performed at a major Broadway house." It featured music by Will Marion Cook, book by Jesse A. Shipp, and lyrics by poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Produced by McVon Hurtig and Harry Seamon, this musical was the first to star African American performers Bert Williams and George Walker, two of the leading comedians in America at the time.In Dahomey opened on February 18, 1903, at the New York Theater, and closed on April 4, 1903 after 53 performances (then considered a successful run). It had a tour in the United Kingdom, followed by a highly successful tour of the United States, which lasted a total of four years.

The musical was revived on Broadway, opening at the Grand Opera House on August 27, 1904 and closing on September 10, 1904 after 17 performances. Bert Williams (as Shylock Homestead), George Walker (as Rareback Pinkerton) and Aida Overton Walker (as Rosetta Lightfoot) reprised their roles.

Based on the show's New York success, the producers of In Dahomey transferred the entire production to England on April 28, 1903, with a staging at the Shaftesbury Theatre, followed by a provincial tour around England. This was capped by a command performance celebrating the ninth birthday of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace when it was heralded as "the most popular musical show in London."

After a year touring England and Scotland, In Dahomey returned to New York and reopened on August 27, 1904, at the Grand Opera House. This was followed by a major 40-week tour across the United States. It played such cities as San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, and St. Louis, turning in a profit of $64,000.